Too Much Egg on the Nog!

The laws of physics: Knob of dresser + Lauren = Boo-boo!!

A Soldier's Silent Night

A Soldier's Silent Night

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.
I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE.
NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT CAME THROUGH MY MIND.
FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.
THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
I REALIZED THE FAMILIES THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.
THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.
THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND STARTED TO CRY;

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;
I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP.
I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR SO WILLING TO FIGHT.
THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA, IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

To B or not to B....

I'm sure Bobby is just thrilled that his wife is about to mention her boobs....but I have to!

You see, I've been a 36C as far back as I can remember. Even in my heaviest of days, years ago, my boob size never changed. Never. Two boys and 100 lbs lighter...still a 36C. So what gives?

Lauren.

She is what gives. My pregnancy alone was way different than the boys. I gained tons of weight with both of them. Lauren...just 10-15 lbs. The boys I tried breastfeeding but just wasn't adult enough or too lazy to give it my all. Lauren...breastfed till she was 13 months old. I was 100 lbs overweight while pregnant with the boys. I was a 100 lbs lighter while I was pregnant with Lauren. I didn't exercise before, during, or after the boys. Lauren....ran up till the day I gave birth and am still running.

Anyway, you get the drift. Now I'm done with all things infant and pregnancy and my boobs are deflated balloons with a bad case of Atlas roadwork. It's frightening. They barely fit in my old bras. So I went to Walmart to try on a few different sizes. Down a cup size. NO! Heck, maybe two cupsizes. NO! Some bras I was a 36B. Some I barely fit into that. A 36A maybe? I guess I could have gone back and grabbed some of those but didn't want to find out! I'll be happy in the B's for now. But I swear if they shrink or deflate anymore......I demand a boob job!!

Or I'll have to go back to the age of 13 and stuff my bras!!

Two Peas in a Pod

FIRST CHAIR!!!

This was our first time to see Eric play. We had no clue how well he was doing. Evidently well enough....he's first chair in the Beginner's Band (6th grade) in the French Horn section. We couldn't be anymore proud!

That's our boy!!!!

Before the Christmas concert.......

The Band!

You Raise Me Up

Sung by: Josh Groban

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

Score!!!!

Wednesday, December 6th

Well, most of you have seen my "polka-dot" pictures. If you haven't...scroll down. This is the story of this most fateful day................

I run. I shower. I notice a few dots trailing up from my right hip to the underside of my left breast. I freak out. I thought I had scabies! Ewww! I freak out some more. "How did I get this?" I ask myself. So I spend most of my morning fretting over this.

Later in the morning, I go do my business in the bathroom and decided while I'm in there I'll have another look-see in the mirror of these dots. After flushing the toilet, I go the the mirror in my bathroom and raise my shirt. "What the hell?" I scream to myself. The few dots were now all over my abdomen, both boobs, my chest, my sides......and as I take off my shirt.....notice them on my upper arms. Aaaaaaaagh! What happened. So now I'm frantic. I immediately call the same-day appointment line on post. No appointments. They are all full. Of course they are. I decide to head out to the ER. The dreaded ER. Ugh! Luckily Lauren has already eaten. But I hadn't. Oh well. "I'll eat when I get home." I think to myself.

We get to the ER. It's 11:30am. Not noon yet. As I walk in, every seat is filled and some people were standing up against the walls. Ugh!!!!! It's going to be a long wait. And it was. It took them an hour to just triage me. You know....the nurse assesses you, takes your vitals and determines if you are going to die in the next minute. Well, to make this as short as possible, we were there for 4 hours. At that time, it being 3:30pm, the boys should be home. I call. No answer. Okay. I'll just wait a few more minutes. Them being boys and all were probably taking the long route home. So at 3:35pm, I call no answer. Okay. My heart beating a little faster, I wait a few more minutes more. It's 3:40pm. I call. No freaking answer. I'm getting panicky. "Where are the boys?" Fear is now squeazing my heart. So every minute on the minute I'm calling the home phone. No answer.

Now I'm freaking out. I know I'm about to be called. The people that I knew that were there before me were being called back. I was getting closer. But where were my boys. Something was wrong. Go home or wait to be called. I went home, of course! So on the way home I'm whipping in and out of traffic with my cell phone stuck to my ear. Yeah, I was that person I most despise....an erratic cell phone driver. I think what usually takes 15 minutes to get home took me 5. I get home and there by the porch are their backpacks. So I drive my truck around the street to their friend's house. I knock on the door and there they were. I'm yelling. My heart is pounding. Out of fear, out of anger, out of fear. In that time of yelling, Eric tells me he forgot his key. Eeergh! Of all the days he has to forget his key..........

I go on and on about how he should have called my cell phone to let me know where they were at. I could still be at the ER waiting patiently for my name to be called. (And I just know as soon as I walked out they called it. I just know it.) Eric tells me that he doesn't know my cell phone number. Okay. Mental note: Give Eric my cell phone number.

Then as we walk in the door, Eric proclaims....."Mom, IF I HAD A CELL PHONE, you could have gotten a hold of me and you wouldn't have been worried."

Score, Eric.

Eric 1, Mom 0

Viral Rash??

I puffed up the stomach to make the rash more clear to the eye. No it doesn't normally look like that! And, yes, that is my belly button!

Another day in the life............

Ahh! Just blew my nose. It's clear for the next minute or so before I'll have to blow it again. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. Curse the cold virus! My nose is raw and sores are forming from the blowing and the cold, dry air that has now chapped the skin that surrounds the two caves that allow human breathing. My head floats above my shoulders from the use of medication that is supposed to dry up the waterfall of sinus drainage. Instead it leaves me a little light-headed. My throat is red and raw from the constant coughing and clearing of said drainage. Can I just be a cat? They have the life....eat, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, poop/pee, eat, sleep, sleep, sleep, and sleep some more. Now that is the life....................

Last night was "scout night" as I have termed it. The night where I wish there were two of me. I drop Matt off at the elementary school, we might hang around awhile to hear the latest news, then Eric, Lauren, and I (plus a few older scouts that I might take with us) leave for Boy Scouts in the next town. We always arrive just when it starts. I drop Eric and the others off. I leave and head back to Matthew's meeting just in time to pick him up and head back to Eric's meeting where we sit for an hour of doing nothing. Okay, I might be chasing Lauren around the DAV and Matthew brings his GameBoy and plays that to whittle away the time. What fun! NOT!

Then it's a rush to get back home, put everyone to bed, and to lie there wishing for death to take me because I have this "bleeping" cold.

On a good note:
Eric has his very first band concert on the 11th. A Chrsitmas concert. He's very excited. They will be playing 4 songs and then the Honor Band will play. If Eric gets better, he can play in the Honor Band next year. I'm looking forward to this.........my baby's in the band.

Must go now. My nose is in need of clearing.....again.

An Old Wound....Refreshed

Lauren strikes again.

Other than my l. shift key, I now have a caps lock and ctrl key gone. Bye-bye! Just ripped them off like a new scab. Oh, I think I can fix these since the pieces are still intact but it will never be the same. Ugh!

My pretty keyboard....not so pretty anymore.

When will I learn to close the case, instead of leaving it open for her prying little fingers? Eeergh!